


Better than alone

by Raptor_Red



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: (Because fuck love triangles), Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Human, F/F, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-23
Updated: 2015-08-23
Packaged: 2018-04-16 21:50:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4641456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raptor_Red/pseuds/Raptor_Red
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Life didn't treat Pearl fairly sometimes. In fact, it did anything but right now. Or why else would it choose to give her not one, but two crushes at the same time. Directed at two women -polar opposites of each other- that she had met not long ago on one of the campus hallways by sheer chance. </p>
<p>Pearl could still deal with that somehow, she was certain, but then it turns out said two women were already happily dating each other...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Better than alone

**Author's Note:**

> About this AU: Your classic college AU set-up with Pearl as a closeted single lesbian -seems like I always want to make her suffer, haha- meanwhile Garnet and Amethyst are in a long-term relationship with each other. The three meet by chance one day on campus and over time Pearl develops feelings. For both of them. At the same time. Looks like tough luck for Pearl, but unbeknownst to her, Garnet and Amethyst are actually both polyromantic and they might not be opposed to give this particular lanky bird a chance...

Normally, Pearl liked to take the route through one of the campus parks to auditorium D, to her last class for the day. She always enjoyed the fresh air and sun after yet another study marathon in the stuffy library building, sometimes it suddenly started smelling like burnt toast in there, it was one of the greater mysteries of Beach City University, the librarians had even set up a prize money fund for whoever found the source of the odor, to no avail yet. 

The unpleasant smell definitely added to Pearls need for fresh oxygen however, and she was just getting ready for the short trek, buttoning up her dark blue wool coat -it was already October, after all- when a look outside the window made her mood fall a little. It had started pouring grey sleet while Pearl’s nose was buried deep in another textbook. 

Oh well, she would just have to take the route through one of the labyrinthine hallways that also led from the library to the history auditorium. Of course she had packed her umbrella, it was always in her backpack, even on sunny days -Pearl thought herself simply well-prepared, not overcautious- but the wind and dull grey skies together with the sleet didn’t really look inviting enough to coax her outside. 

As Pearl walked through the crowded hallway, sidestepping groups of chatting and joking students, she took a quick glance at her watch, yes she was still in time, it confirmed. She tried to be there a little early every time, it was a popular class and she had a favorite seat in the front row to catch. Sitting there helped her concentrate, Pearl always told herself. She couldn’t afford to get distracted from the course material, her choice of seating definitely didn’t have anything to do with the beautiful history professor. Not at all. Still Pearl indulged herself by letting her mind wander toward Professor Quartz-Universe’s -or just Rose, how she preferred to be called- curvaceous body and incredible locks for a minute.

Pearl’s daydream had just continued onto the subject of Rose’s warm laugh when she was suddenly rudely snapped out if it, someone was calling at her.

“Hey you! Yeah you, the tall one!”

Pearl looked up, a little befuddled. She spotted the source of the shouting soon enough, it had come from a short -very short- Latina woman with bleached hair that almost reached down to her hips, it was rather unruly and made Pearl wonder if it had ever gotten acquainted with a brush…

Stepping closer toward the other woman then, Pearl raised an eyebrow at her obvious predicament. She was standing on a step ladder and held some sort of purple banner up over her head against the wall right in front of her. Pearl understood the problem, a few feet away was another step ladder, with another woman on it, this one tall and black and she sported quite the impressive afro. She held the other end of the banner against the wall, but the size difference between her and her companion was too big, it hung completely crooked.

The Latina woman turned around halfway on the ladder toward Pearl and said: “Hey, ‘d you think you could help us out here? I don’t see myself growing two feet anytime soon so I need you to hang this damn thing with G for me instead.”

Ever helpful, Pearl replied, “Of course.”, before unceremoniously taking the place of the short woman on the ladder, who had stepped off it to make room, she handed her a roll of tape as well and while Pearl got to the task at hand she continued, “Thanks for helping us out here, I’m Amethyst by the way, and- no a little farther up, yeah now you got it! And that giant to your left is Garnet.”

“Howdy.”

“My name is Pearl.” It was a court answer but Pearl was focused on getting the tape off the roll to apply to the banner. After that was done, she stepped off the ladder again and handed the tape back to Amethyst. “There you go.” Garnet was now on level ground again too -and yes she really was rather tall, Pearl noted- and got started on folding up the two ladders.

Pearl was almost about to continue on her way to the auditorium, her job here was done after all, but before she could do so Amethyst spoke again: “Hey wait a sec.” 

After she had Pearls attention again, Amethyst didn’t go on immediately, instead, she gave Pearl a once-over, from head to toes, her face was hard to read for Pearl, it almost looked as if Amethyst was reaching an important verdict on her. Then she continued in a relaxed voice: “I think you should come sometime, you know.”, she shrugged, “eh, I mean mostly we argue about Orange Is The New Black or whatever but at least Garnet’s managed to scare away the yaoi fangirl crowd by now.” 

Amethyst casually pointed at Garnet standing behind her with her thumb, who looked up from her ladder-folding business to add with narrowed eyes: “They didn’t like my Death Note spoilers.”, in a deadly serious tone. 

“Yeah….We’re still working on some die-hard superwholocks but we’re getting there. We gotta go now but like I said, check it out sometime! Bye!”

Before Pearl could ask any question as to _what_ she should check out sometime, the strange duo was on their way down the hallway in the direction Pearl had come from. Garnet walking in front, carrying one ladder under each arm easily and Amethyst in tow -who waved back at Pearl before turning around to catch up with Garnets longer strides. 

Pearl was rather confused by Amethyst’s words, but as she turned to finally get to her history class, she read the words on the banner she had helped hang up for the first time, and she did a double-take:

“ _Say Hey If You’re Gay: GSA Meetings every Wednesday 7 PM, Room 266”_

A lot of different things went on in Pearl’s head at the same time then, a strange mix of uncertainty, fear and curiosity. Surely this Amethyst girl must have thought she’d simply be a good ally, she couldn’t have guessed something as private as her sexuality -which she still regularly disputed with herself- just from a single glance, or could she? No no, absolutely not. And besides, there was no way she would go to one of these meetings, she was much too busy with her studies!

Pearl finally continued toward the auditorium, now too late to be early, but try as she might, not even her history professor could distract her from thinking about these two strange women she had just met all day.

**Author's Note:**

> Wow ok! Actually I wrote this to try my hand at something set in 3rd person POV after only using 2nd person POV before. I have some ideas for this (...hence the mature warning.....) but I also really want to finish my other ongoing fic first, so this one might not take priority, however, if I get some positive feedback, I'll definitely not forget about it. SO let me know what you think of it? (Addendum: All I know about colleges, and American ones at that, comes from pop-culture, tumblr and AU fanfictions, so you'll have to bear with me here) 
> 
> Thanks for reading anyhow!


End file.
